“You’ll see.” Will took my hand again and led me around the side of the trailer. His horse was waiting. “It’s a bit of a ride. Hope you don’t mind.”
Once he was settled into his saddle, he reached down to help me swing up behind him. He fished in his pocket and dangled a white bandana in the air. “Cover your eyes. It’s a surprise. But don’t let your imagination run too wild. We won’t be alone.”
“Okay.” Blindfolds and mysterious horseback rides weren’t exactly Will’s style. I wondered what he was up to. “This is interesting.” I folded the bandana into a thin strip and tied it around my eyes, stuffing the tails into the band securing my ponytail. “All done.”
It had been a long time since I’d ridden double with anyone, and the lack of stirrups threw off my balance as Will nudged his horse into a slow trot. “You gonna hold on?” he asked over his shoulder. “Or am I going to be picking you up out of the mud?”
I’d been too busy tracing the muscles of his shoulders to worry too much about falling off. I wrapped my arm around his waist and curled my fingers beneath the rear of the saddle. “Is this your secret Blythe plot? Knock me off a horse and take over my ranch?”
He laughed and covered my hand with his own. “You caught me. That’s been my evil plot all along.”
“I knew it.”
A few minutes later, I smelled the familiar scent of wood smoke in the wind. “I hope wherever you’re taking me is supposed to involve fire,” I said. “Or else we might need to postpone your surprise.”
I rested my ear against Will’s back and listened to the sound of his laughter. I didn’t care if this ended up being something corny or ridiculous like square dancing. The important thing was that Will had made a move this time. It wasn’t always me seeking him out.
Just as my curiosity was reaching its limit, Will slowed our pace to a lazy walk. “We’re here.”
“Can I take off my blindfold now? I’m afraid of falling off and breaking my ankle. Again.”
Will twisted in the saddle as much as he was able and lifted his bandana from my eyes. “Don’t do that. It looked like it hurt enough the first time.”
“Maybe I just did it to make a cute boy carry my books at school.”
He rolled his eyes. “We all carried your bags if I recall. Never seen anyone bringing that much stuff to school. What else do you need except a pencil?”
I shushed him and dismounted. As the smoke cleared a bit,I spotted Bella and chuckled nervously. “You brought me to a Blythe party?” Under my breath, I added, “Do you want me to get murdered?”
“It’s just Bella and me,” Will clarified. “She wanted a night out in the desert to celebrate her birthday and suggested that I bring you along.”
“Bella suggested that?”
He shrugged and leaned in to plant a chaste kiss on my cheek. “She likes you, and I’m not going to complain about that. I thought it would be nice to spend the evening together, too. I know how much you love bonfires.”
Being with Will like this brought up so many memories of when we were younger, sneaking out on horseback to meet in the middle of nowhere. Making bonfires had added to the romantic atmosphere, but they’d also been practical. Texas temperatures could be unforgiving once the sunsets. “Just like the old days.”
“Sure is. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah. I already ate dinner, but I think we both know I’ll eat a second one.”
“Spoken like a true cowgirl.”
Will tended to his horse while I moved closer to the fire to warm up. I took a seat on one of the blankets spread out by the fire. “Hi, Bella.” For some reason, knowing that she’d wanted me to come made me a bit shy. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“No problem. Being able to get out in the open is about the only thing I like about this place,” she said. “Everything has been so awful this week. Thought we could all use a break.”
“You’re not kidding.”
Bella nodded in Will’s direction. “And I wanted to thank you both for listening to me when I needed it. Sometimes I feel like no one else understands what it’s like. They just think I’m a brat.”
“I know what that feels like. On the one hand, you feel guilty for having problems when you’re wealthy enough not to have to worry about where your next meal is coming from or how to pay for anything, really. But on the other, all the money in the world can’t help when you feel alone.”
“Exactly!”
I scooted over to give Will some space to join us as Bella stirred the two pots over the fire. The smell was familiar, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. “What’re you making?”
Bella grinned. “This one is my top-secret chili recipe. This one has cheese sauce.” She pointed at a reusable shopping bag a few feet away. “I’ve got like fifteen different kinds of nachos and some hot dogs.”
My mouth was already watering. “You’re my hero.” I flapped my hand to clear away some of the smoke and took a picture of the food. I sent it to Hailey with an uncharacteristically sappy caption: Taking your advice and spending some time with Will. Wish you were here.
We ate and watched true night begin to settle. It was so refreshing to not worry about someone eavesdropping or stumbling upon us at random. I glanced around at the mountains in the distance, the whisper of sand shifting as the wind blew across the lowlands before us. “Whose land is this? This isn’t your father’s, right?”
“Of course not,” Bella said, smirking. “You didn’t burst into flames when you walked onto it, did you?”
“Is that how that whole Blythe-Wentworth thing works?” Will scratched his head and mimicked being confused. “Shoot. I don’t think I have a fire extinguisher in my trailer. Guess you can’t come over any more, Sky.”
I smacked him on the arm. “You’re hopeless.”
Will wiggled a finger towards the east. “To answer your question, this is technically Jessie’s. Her uncle bought a couple of acres out here. Not sure why.”
“Maybe politics,” I suggested, knowing how some ranchers around here—like Dad—didn’t want to do business with people who only owned property on the reservation. “You know how awful people are to the tribe.”
Bellfield certainly had its faults. But honestly, I was happier there with Will and Bella than I’d been in years. The food was amazing. The company couldn’t be beat. And the stars would be shining overhead any minute.
I laid back on the blanket and tried to pick out patterns even though I didn’t know a single constellation. Will and Bella kept tormenting each other in a loving way, their laughter echoing slightly in the openness.
I envied them—that kind of relationship. Nothing about my family had ever been that simple, even among us siblings. Zane and Daniel had stuck up for me here and there, but neither of them had been overly willing to risk Dad’s ire when push came to shove. I resented them for being Dad’s favorites just because they were sons instead of daughters. Maybe that wasn’t fair to them, but they hadn’t wholly committed to being fair to me either.
Once we were stuffed and scraping the bottoms of the pots for what little remained of dinner, Bella fetched a portable radio from her car and put on some background music. She sang along and coaxed me into doing the same. I didn’t have much of a singing voice, but Bella’s was beautiful. Will even chimed in a few times with the bass.
“I’m gonna ride up a mile or so to that creek and get Rowdy some water,” Will said, standing and turning towards his horse. “He gets antsy by himself sometimes. You two good out here?”
“We’ll go in the car if there’s any trouble,” Bella replied.
I watched him ride off. “I was about to tell him that he worries too much, but after everything with Crystal, it doesn’t seem so farfetched.”
“Yeah, it really freaked me out when I heard.”
Without Will there, I wasn’t quite sure what was off-limits. “So, um, Will told me that you’re going to Berkeley.”
Bella beamed, her fa
ce flushed with relief. “Now that I’ve just committed to it, I feel so much better. I don’t care what Dad thinks. Will shouldn’t either. I haven’t seen him this happy in ages. You really do bring out the best in him.”
“You think so?” Some of my earlier doubt crept in as I thought of Dad. Am I taking advantage of his condition by going behind his back when he’s in no shape to catch me doing it?
“Will loves you. You know that, right?”
“I really love him, too.” There was no question about that. “It’s just been complicated.”
Bella sighed. “I’m sorry that your dad is as bad as our dad. I can’t believe he sold your horse. That’s so cruel.”
I should have wanted to defend him, but I didn’t. He was cruel, but only to those who loved him.
“Are you mad at me?” Bella asked suddenly, a strand of hair wrapping around her finger as she twirled it.
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“Will was supposed to go to Boston with you. I know that you kind of both agreed to break up, but I also know that I was holding him back.”
I kept moving until she met my gaze. “He wanted to protect you. That was the right choice. You’re his sister.”
Will returned, got his horse settled, and started digging around in Bella’s car. “Didn’t you get a cake? You have to blow out your candles at midnight.”
“I’ll be right there!” she shouted. Rushing now that he was back, she said, “He couldn’t follow you to Boston because Dad would have manipulated him into coming home by hurting me. But now we’re free. I can go to California, and Will can be with you. He loves you. He’ll do anything for you.”
I was speechless. Dad hated Will, but he never would have raised his hand to me or my brothers. Not ever.
Bella grabbed my hand, her gaze hovering over the tattoo on my wrist. “Will you give up everything for him?”
She left the question lingering between us as she went to search for dessert. Tears stung my eyes as I sipped at my soda, wishing that I’d brought my flask. Will shuffled over to the fire carrying a small cake, paper plates, and candles. He smiled broadly as he sang happy birthday to Bella.
I clapped along, but the spell was broken. I wanted Will with all of my being. Yet Bella’s question had rattled me. What if our families punished us for our betrayal? Did Will’s father have a secret ace card he was waiting to play? Did mine?
It hit me then that if Dad sold the ranch, I wasn’t just depriving myself of my dream or my promise to my mother. It also meant that my nieces, nephews, and children would never see the ranch. They’d never have these nights in the dirt with the smell of heavy smoke around them and friends to keep them company.
Suddenly, this night was too similar to our teenage years, and not in a nostalgic way. Instead, I felt helpless again, like any path I chose would end in a cliff. This was real life, not a fairytale, and maybe my happily-ever-after didn’t come with a handsome prince after all.
Chapter 15
If asking me to spend the evening with him had been Will’s idea of reaching out, I propelled us straight back into awkward territory when I declined to stay the night with him. “There’s a lot to think about,” I said as I stood outside my truck. “I don’t want to rush.”
Will scuffed the toe of his boot in the dirt. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” I kept enough distance between us that I wouldn’t be tempted to fling myself at him in a moment of weakness. The physical connection was simple. It was my heart that couldn’t be sorted. I almost broke down right there as my words caught in my throat. “Tonight was amazing. Thank you. Really. I just need some time to think about what we’re doing.”
“Your father?” he asked.
“Just all of it. I haven’t given up hope that maybe I can have my cake and eat it, too.”
Will nodded in understanding. “Family is… family. You know where to find me if you want to talk it out.”
“Thank you, Will.”
I took out my keys as he turned to put Rowdy away for the night. I wanted to say something else, but there was no quick fix. This was a gaping wound that we’d lived with for over a decade.
Reluctantly, I climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door as a shield against the intoxicating draw of Will Blythe. I had to force myself through every individual action that separated us. Turning the key. Shifting into reverse. Leaving. Why am I always leaving?
Once I made it into the garage at home, I stayed in the darkened truck for almost half an hour. I couldn’t face what was waiting for me outside. I was jealous of Bella, who was going to California with her boyfriend and living the rebellious life that I’d once clung to as my dream. She was escaping.
Will was on the verge of doing the same. I couldn’t ask him to wait forever, not when Wyoming was still in his periphery. I used the last scrap of my willpower to walk upstairs, take a shower, and fall into bed. The bourbon in my suitcase beckoned to me, but I didn’t deserve to be numb to this—this pain that I’d carried for thirteen years had become an inferno. I couldn’t expect not to get burned.
I woke in the morning to a fist pounding on my door. It was too impolite to be the staff and too urgent to be routine. “Who is it?”
“It’s Sam. Are you decent?”
“One second!” I hurled myself out of bed and threw on a sweatshirt. My curiosity outweighed my embarrassment at the old athletic shorts I was using as pajamas, so I didn’t bother to dress further before greeting Sam. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He propped one arm against the jamb and leaned on it with a fake casualness that wasn’t fooling me. “Your stepmom just called to say that your father is coming around. They’re talking about maybe discharging him tomorrow.”
“Already? He wasn’t even awake the last few times I visited.”
“He must have turned a corner. She said the improvement has been drastic.”
I laughed with relief and hugged Sam, tossing aside whatever residual uneasiness remained from our conversation in the parking lot. “That’s so wonderful. I can’t believe it.” Still a little groggy, I checked the time and pushed away the doubt of the past few days. Today, I would try to just be a daughter happy to see her father on the road to wellness. “I think I’ll go see him if he’s awake. Oh! And they discharged Crystal today.”
I texted Remy and Crystal a series of smiley emojis and exclamation points. Wishing you a speedy recovery! Enjoy your time off.
“I can’t make any promises about your dad,” Sam said. “This is just the latest information. I’m sure nothing is set in stone until they actually release him.”
“True, but I just want to see him. I don’t think it counts if all of our conversations have been while he was unconscious or asleep.”
“Probably not.” Sam straightened. “I’ll let you get to it.”
I watched him walk down the hallway, his head slightly bowed. I tried to imagine what the house would be like when Dad came home. With Sam apparently unwilling to speak to me beyond important matters and Remy taking a leave of absence, I was more or less on my own. Though if things got too bad, I’m pretty sure that Brian would defend my honor with some kind of sharp cooking implement.
Unlike most days on the ranch, I actually put some thought and effort into my outfit. I wanted to look responsible and put together for when I saw Dad. I wasn’t much for makeup since it just melted off my face half the time anyway in the Texas heat. However, it did have its uses for hiding some of the darker lines under my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was advertise that I’d been losing sleep.
Eli was gone when I got down to the garage, presumably driving Beth to the hospital. I took Dad’s truck, thinking that I’d have to be permanently assigned a car of my own soon, and called Zane and Daniel to fill them in on the way. They both sounded relieved, not just because Dad was getting better but also because they wouldn’t need to fly out on short notice. “Tell Dad to give me a call when he’s
feeling up to it,” Daniel said. “Thanks, by the way. You being there is a big help. We know that Dad is in good hands that way.”
“Yeah, and Sam is here, too.”
After we hung up, I focused on the drive and attempted not to be annoyed at my brothers. They meant well, and I was sure that they really were grateful that I was here. But neither of them ever seemed willing to acknowledge what I was going through with Dad. They acted like I hadn’t blown up my career in New York to fight for this ranch. Meanwhile, they were content to stay home and preside over their empires while I juggled family and fortune.
Dad was awake when I made it up to his room, though he was moving slower than his usual pace. He greeted me with surprising warmth, holding his arms open. “Sky. You’re here.”
“Of course!” I gave him a gentle hug. Beth had rearranged some of his gifts and cleaned off the table by his bed to give him more space. I noted with some pride that my flowers were still in their place. “How are you feeling? I was so shocked to hear that you’re doing so much better already. It’s a miracle.”
“They changed some of my medication,” Dad explained. “I was tired of being so sedated. I wanted to know what was going on with work and my health.”
I noted the order of his concerns. “Isn’t Beth here?” I didn’t see her purse or anything, but she hadn’t mentioned going anywhere. She’d taken to sending me texts during the search for Crystal so that I’d always know how to get in touch.
“She went to get something to eat and a cup of coffee. She’s been here half the night.”
“Oh. I went straight to bed last night. We’ve hardly even spoken lately.” It had only been days since Dad’s collapse, but it seemed like eons. So much had happened in the interim that I wasn’t sure where to begin.
He beat me to it. “I heard what you did for Remy and Crystal.”
I waited for the inevitable chastisement for working with Will and his friends.
“I’m proud of you,” Dad said.
“You are?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I couldn’t remember a single other instance in my life when my father had said anything even resembling that. He was an expert of backhanded compliments and passive aggression. But when I searched his face for any malice, it wasn’t there.
The Cowboy's Promise: Love Triangle Billionaire Romance (The Wentworth Cowboy Billionaire Series) Page 13
